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joannakatz4's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I found this very insightful and useful. There were a couple of bizarre analogies that were throwbacks to obnoxious misogynistic popular thinking, but those few moments didn’t ruin the book. The chapter on stroke mechanics was probably the least helpful part compared to his writing about quieting our inner critic and reframing the idea of winning. I would recommend and will also keep a copy for revisiting and contemplating nuggets of wisdom.
greden's review against another edition
5.0
This one blew away by how widely useful the advice in this book is. Not only in learning other skills such as throwing free throws or an instrument, but any endeavor of personal, or even spiritual development.
While Gallwey's efforts in writing were genuinely for the tennis player, the book could be the most approachable Zen Buddhist book for those who would never buy a spiritual book, considering there's no trace of mysticism or quackery or any explicit declaration of spiritual growth in the book.
The basic idea of the book is that we distinguish two entities in the mind. Me #1 and Me #2. When we fail at something while practicing, we often criticize ourselves saying "You clumsy fool, grandma could do it better." The clumsy fool would be #2, and the criticizing voice is #1.
Gallwey asserts that verbal training is inferior to visual/feeling-based training. Instead of criticizing or praising ourselves, Galway suggests we watch other people and try to replicate, or just imagine what we want to happen. Give ourselves a vision, visualize what success would look like, and then trust our natural mechanism for learning, without interfering with criticism or praise.
When we fail, Gallwey suggests not to be upset, just watch objectively what's going on. Same with success. Don't feel "good" about success. Just watch objectively what's going on and the natural mechanism for learning will take care of itself.
Of course, this isn't easy. When we succeed, Me #1 wants to take credit, because ego satisfaction feels so good, perhaps even more than success itself. When I #1 comes into control, instead of having Me #2 doing the work uninterrupted, performance is compromised. This is because I #1 inherently distrusts the natural genius of the body, and therefore directs too much attention to one thing and creates an unbalance.
I believe Galway's writing to be true in a wide sense. So long you have a strong vision of what you want to do, you can allow yourself to let go of the micromanaging and just watch your natural genius take care of itself.
While Gallwey's efforts in writing were genuinely for the tennis player, the book could be the most approachable Zen Buddhist book for those who would never buy a spiritual book, considering there's no trace of mysticism or quackery or any explicit declaration of spiritual growth in the book.
The basic idea of the book is that we distinguish two entities in the mind. Me #1 and Me #2. When we fail at something while practicing, we often criticize ourselves saying "You clumsy fool, grandma could do it better." The clumsy fool would be #2, and the criticizing voice is #1.
Gallwey asserts that verbal training is inferior to visual/feeling-based training. Instead of criticizing or praising ourselves, Galway suggests we watch other people and try to replicate, or just imagine what we want to happen. Give ourselves a vision, visualize what success would look like, and then trust our natural mechanism for learning, without interfering with criticism or praise.
When we fail, Gallwey suggests not to be upset, just watch objectively what's going on. Same with success. Don't feel "good" about success. Just watch objectively what's going on and the natural mechanism for learning will take care of itself.
Of course, this isn't easy. When we succeed, Me #1 wants to take credit, because ego satisfaction feels so good, perhaps even more than success itself. When I #1 comes into control, instead of having Me #2 doing the work uninterrupted, performance is compromised. This is because I #1 inherently distrusts the natural genius of the body, and therefore directs too much attention to one thing and creates an unbalance.
I believe Galway's writing to be true in a wide sense. So long you have a strong vision of what you want to do, you can allow yourself to let go of the micromanaging and just watch your natural genius take care of itself.
chiliramon's review against another edition
4.0
This has been on my To Read pile since Bill Gates recommended it for upping his tennis game and billionaire game, the only two things I aspire to, but I never really felt moved to read it because I loathe the self-help genre. But after a particularly shameful friendly tennis match, I was desperate.
And I am humbled! I hate self-help because it reduces life to stale, meaningless platitudes to plaster on gym selfies. And I always thought that what they preached were at most, listicle-worthy.
But W. Timothy Gallwey makes the distinctions that the Rise & Grind
And I am humbled! I hate self-help because it reduces life to stale, meaningless platitudes to plaster on gym selfies. And I always thought that what they preached were at most, listicle-worthy.
But W. Timothy Gallwey makes the distinctions that the Rise & Grind